


Deep Blue Songspell

by cosmicbubble



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Like kaiba, M/M, Merman Atem, There are other characters but they’re either not named or barely there, i tried to make it like a fairytale but idk, prince yuugi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-07-02 08:54:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15793206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmicbubble/pseuds/cosmicbubble
Summary: Stressed from the work of the day, Yugi wanders out to the ocean and comes across a remarkable - and life-changing - sight.





	Deep Blue Songspell

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SugarAppleBlue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SugarAppleBlue/gifts).



> HAPPY BIRTHDAY DES!!!! I hope you enjoy your day and this fic!!! <33333
> 
> Hi everyone!! I don’t normally write ygo but for my friend’s bday I wanted to write something she really loved and I hope y’all like it too!! The title of the work comes from open your eyes (deep blue songspell) by bea miller!!!

“That’s entirely true, but if we want this treaty to go ahead as planned, then we’re going to have to make some compromises. This is one of those things we could change.”

 

Eyes drooping, Yugi stays seated at the head of the long table, elderly council members surrounding him on all sides. Placed before him is a stack of papers and though he’s read them all before, the words no longer make any sense. They seem to swirl along the pages, melting and twisting until they appear as hieroglyphs scrawled upon sand.

 

At eighteen, Yugi is the youngest to ascend the throne in his kingdom. He’s trained from the moment he could read, could walk, for this moment - but it’s all just so  _ exhausting.  _ Neighboring countries, struggling through famine and wars just as their own has been, come to their doors begging for a treaty, for a trade of some kind. His father always handled this, even as Yugi was learning to take the reins of leading a country.

 

Now, however, it all falls to him. His hands grip the edge of the table to keep from trembling.

 

“Your Highness,” the man closest to him breaks his thoughts, “I’m wondering if you have a solution to this right now.”

 

Yugi sighs. Perhaps it’s better to be honest, and so he shakes his head, “I’m sorry. Can I have some time to think over everything? It’s quite a bit to think about.”

 

They adjourn the meeting; after all, they can’t do much without their king. Yugi leaves the room, nearly marching down the hallway. The sound of his shoes against the marbled floor echoes through the castle, but Yugi pays it no mind. He runs his hand through his hair, a symphony of blond, black, and shimmering red meeting his fingers.

 

His kingdom is located along the sea, with the castle brushing up against the sand of the shore. If Yugi opens his window in the night, when the night is overwhelming and he just can’t find sleep, he can hear the sound of waves crashing against the sand. It’s calming to him - and now, every bit of peace he can collect is important.

 

It’s how he finds himself outside, ridding himself of stifling shoes and rushing, barefoot, into the warm sand. The sun kisses his cheeks and the sand embraces his feet as he runs towards the shore.

 

He arrives to the waves crashing, echoing in his ears. Yugi takes in a deep breath then, and as he releases it to the air he mumbles, “I don’t know what to do.”

 

He takes a seat along the shore, watching as the waves ebb and flow. They’re calming, easing the rapid beating of his heart and he rummages through everything he knows about the treaty discussed today. It’s a kingdom in the middle of the continent, known for their lush grasses and brilliant mountains. They’ve also recently seen a new ascension to the throne, Jonouchi, who is about the same age as Yugi. They’re recovering from the war that murdered their king and razed their crops, and Yugi feels his heart twist at the thought.

 

But the council never can agree with what to do. They bicker and argue, claiming that it’s all a ruse to bring their kingdom down, or that it’s a gesture of good will and will make their countries stronger. They can’t seem to decide. Yugi just hears the words echoing in his head, over and over, and they melt together.

 

His body moves on its own. Yugi stands up and walks towards the moving waves, the cold water curling up around his toes and sending cold shockwaves through his body. The words from the meeting fall from his mind now, and he focuses on the feeling of water rushing around his legs.

 

He removes his cloak, giving it a gentle toss towards the dried sand and moves deeper into the water. It envelopes his legs, his thighs, until he’s waist deep and swimming amongst the saltwater and seaweed. The chill runs through his body, a refreshing and soothing feeling settling in place of the meeting.

 

Swimming has always brought him solace, brought him quiet when the world seems too loud. His father often brought him out here after his meetings, as the sun began to set into the sea.

 

_ “Papa,” Yugi would find himself asking amongst the splashing of water and the giggles that erupt from him, “Why do you like to come here so much?” _

 

_ His father would stop splashing him for a moment and look out into the horizon before he would say, “There’s so much unknown in the waters. When things around our small home feel too much, it’s nice to look out into something as grand as the ocean and know how little our problems are. They’re a drop compared to the strong waters around us.” _

 

_ Yugi wouldn’t truly understand, but he would always say, “Okay Papa. Now let’s play!” And his father would go back to splashing him with water until the tips of his fingers would wrinkle, and he would carry Yugi back up to their home. _

 

He usually stays closer to the shore, but something about the waves further out seemed to be calling for him, yearning for him to explore, and so he begins to swim out deeper. With his smaller stature, it’s not long before he’s using his legs to push him forward through the water. The chill presses against his skin, embracing him tightly and pulling him ever forward into deeper water.

 

Yugi finds himself relaxing amongst the waves for a time, until he notices a peculiar pattern of movement a little ways to the right of him. It’s not like waves, not rhythmic and methodical, but frantic and desperate, as though the water is clawing at itself. Yugi finds himself swimming towards the area of water, diving beneath the surface to investigate.

 

When he opens his eyes beneath the water, everything is blurry for just a few moments. He sees seaweed and small fish scurrying about, and it takes a moment before Yugi sees the problem. And somehow, his father’s words ring true - they truly haven’t the faintest idea what lies beneath the surface of the ocean.

 

A fishing net has caught on a rock, weighing heavily into the ocean deep. Caught in the net, weighing it down and moving it frantically to get out, is a man. Or rather, part of it is man - from the torso up gives the appearance of one, tanned and blond hair fanning out as he moves desperately inside of the netting.

 

When Yugi was little, his father often read him bedtime stories. Just like his father, Yugi grew to be obsessed with the idea of the oceans and the creatures that could lurk within the waves. His favorite stories were fairy tales about mermaids and mermen, creating their own civilizations that lurked at the very bottom of the ocean floor, tucked into their own crevices hidden away from the land of humans. They had stories of romance, of friendship, of deception and betrayal, but also of heroism and of standing up for what is right. Yugi often imagined his father as a merpeople king, making sure he does what’s right for everyone who lives beneath his rule.

 

A shimmering tail, aquamarine and desperate, kicks out from the torso of this man. A stream of red steadily flows from the tail, a gash cutting deep into the skin and scales there.

 

Merpeople - the people Yugi read about only in storybooks and thought about in his wildest dreams - are real.

 

He doesn’t allow himself time to think about this revelation. The merman is growing more wild, kicking as best he can with his tail against the netting that surrounds him. He’s tightly gripping onto the cloth, struggling as he attempts to pull it apart. It doesn’t budge.

 

Yugi springs into action. His lungs are screaming, trying to claw their way to air but he doesn’t allow himself reprieve just yet. Hidden in the pocket of his pants is a knife - decorated and intricate, a parting gift from his late mother. The blade is sharp, and though for a moment Yugi wonders how well the blade will slice when its underwater, he doesn’t allow the thought to make him hesitate. He brings the blade to the top of the net, where it all comes together, and uses every ounce of muscle he can to pull through the netting. It’s difficult, the water proving to be another adversary in the process, but it does start to slowly fray and break apart.

 

His lungs are screaming, yearning for air and he can feel his consciousness tugging at his eyes, but he persists. The net is almost entirely cut, and soon, the merman will be freed. Even if he floats up in the water without a breath or a heartbeat, then it would be worth it if the other can survive.

 

The netting finally snaps, falling into the ocean floor before Yugi can grab hold of it. He pushes himself to the surface then, gasping in fresh air as he splashes against the water. The merman comes to the surface as well, blond hair shining with the light of the sun as he makes a pained noise, grabbing hold of some rocks above the surface. His tail - it must be a bad injury, because the water isn’t kicking and spinning anymore. Instead, he’s just clinging as much as he can to that rock.

 

Yugi walks onto the shore, the hot sand prickling against his cold and wet feet, but he reaches out for the cloak he had abandoned, using the knife to rip small pieces, holding them in his hand. He marches back out to the ocean, legs struggling to take him there, yearning and calling for a moment of rest. Yugi persists instead. 

 

“Let me help you,” Yugi calls out to the merman, holding out his hand with the straps of fabric. The merman eyes the items, eyebrows furrowed, and Yugi watches as he clings to the rock even more, arms shaking with the exertion. He’s skeptical, eyes moving from the fabrics to Yugi’s face and back again.

 

Yugi repeats, “I want to help. You’re hurt.” He makes wild motions with his arms, trying to convince him to let him help. The merman doesn’t seem to understand his words, but he seems to figure out what he’s saying by his hand movements, because he pushes himself from the rock, swimming slowly over to the shore. With every moment, a flash of pain crosses his face, and the grip Yugi has on the makeshift bandages tightens.

 

When he arrives on the shore, he pulls his tail out of the water, allowing the wound to see fresh air for the first time. Yugi takes a look at it, moving closer slowly so he won’t scare the other. It’s still bleeding, but the flow is less than it was earlier. It’s deep, just as he thought.

 

Yugi takes one of the cloth bandages and lays it over the top of the wound. Another piece goes beneath, pressing against the sand, and he ties the ends together. One more piece, longer than the others, wrapping around the wound entirely.

 

“You should be okay now,” Yugi says, looking at the confused expression on the merman, “I think just leave it on for a little bit. It’ll stop the bleeding.”

 

It takes another moment before Yugi realizes that talking does nothing. The merman doesn’t seem to understand him, and so his long and nervous sentences don’t matter. They don’t make sense.

 

It’s also the first time that Yugi takes a closer look at the merman. He has tan skin, a necklace of pearls adorning his neck and reaching down to his chest. A crown of coral lies atop his head, with familiar blond and black hair reaching his shoulders. Shimmering violet eyes meet his own, and Yugi finds his breath has caught in his throat.

 

They spend a small amount of time like this; just looking at each other, neither moving. Yugi decides to move first, pointing to himself and saying, “Yugi.”

 

He decides that’s enough of a way to introduce himself, because the merman gives him the smallest smile. Yugi reaches his hand out, gesturing to him, as he asks, “Your name?”

 

“Atem,” he says, lips upturned in a smile. Yugi can’t help but return the gesture, and he sits next to Atem for a while, enjoying the sounds of the waves crashing against the surface, brushing against his legs and Atem’s tail.

 

It’s early in the day, and the sun is setting before Yugi leaves the beach. The time he spent with Atem was busy, because Yugi had decided that since they needed to figure out how to communicate, he would teach him how to speak in his language. Atem had been a fast learner, stumbling through the nuances in conversation. By the end of it, Yugi had said, “I’ll come back again when I can. I don’t live far from here. I’ll see you again, right?”

 

“Yes,” Atem had replied, “See you tomorrow.”

 

Yugi had left with a wave, reminding himself to return to the shore as soon as he could.

 

When he arrives back in the castle, some of the council members are quick to find him. They’re scurrying throughout the hallway and when they see him, they exclaim, “Your Highness! Where have you been?”

 

“At the shore,” Yugi replies with a shrug of his shoulders. They don’t seem to be calmed by his answer, because their shoulders tense and they exchange a look of doubt amongst each other.

 

One sighs and says, “That is fine, I suppose, but we really do need to figure out the treaty. Let’s return to the meeting room and see what we can do.”

 

It’s said like a suggestion, but the tone implies it’s anything but. Yugi has no choice but to go along with it, returning to a meeting without a solution as the sun continues to set. He’s there, he’s listening to their suggestions and comments - “We should make sure there’s something in the treaty about sharing of crops even during wartime! They might try to selfishly keep it to themselves.” - but instead, his mind has drifted and arrived back on the seashore, lost in the waves of the ocean and shimmering violet eyes.

 

When the meeting adjourns, the sun has long since set and the moon is high in the sky. As Yugi lies in his bed, window open, the stars are his only company. He hears the waves upon the shore, and he allows his mind to wander again. Has Atem returned to his home? Is his injury causing him pain or keeping him on the surface? He thinks of the delicate coral crown placed upon his head, decorated in plants from the ocean shore, and Yugi decides he must be important.

 

Yugi falls asleep wondering what it would be like to live in a castle beneath the ocean waves.

 

/////

 

He cannot escape the castle the next day. As soon as he wakes up, dresses, and walks out of his room, the council is upon him. They’re frantic, grabbing hold of his arms and nearly carrying him into the meeting and once it has started, it does not relent. Yugi listens to their concerns again and again - it’s all the same, just worded differently to make it sound like a unique idea.

 

“One suggestion I have,” a middle-aged council member suggests, “is that if we open up the waters just outside our castle walls to fishing and harvesting, we could use that in our bargaining.”

 

Yugi takes a moment to imagine it - looking out his window and seeing fishing boats littering the coastline. He imagines the netting from the boat rising up out of the waters, taking its sweet time with the amount of fish its obtained. When it rises, Yugi can see the large amounts of fish and marine life, but then it all feels sour. Because he can also see, peeking out between the fish, a desperate hand, pulling at the net again. He can see a head of shocking blond hair, and a crown of pink coral.

 

Then he thinks about what happened yesterday - about how Atem had already been caught in a net, struggling so close to their shore. The more he thinks back on it, the more he decides it wasn’t just a stray net that got stuck on their shores. It had been placed there deliberately. And now, with the council suggesting opening fishing along there, he feels his heart racing, hammering in his chest.

 

They’ve already started - permission or not, they were going to do this.

 

“I think before we come to a decision on this,” Yugi says quietly, taking another look at the others around the table before he continues, “Have we already started this process?”

 

One of the council members, seated next to the one who made the original suggestion, gasps, “Of course not, Your Highness! We have to have your permission and approval here at the council for that.”

 

“Are you sure?” Yugi persists, “During my time out on the beach yesterday I noticed a net set up to collect fish.”

 

He’s met with silence as the council members take glimpses at each other. He sees the same middle-aged council member bring his hand up run his fingers through his brown hair, but he’s nervously tugging at the strands as he does so.

 

He eventually laughs, “Why, of course not! Perhaps what you saw was a net that had simply washed up on the shore.”

 

Yugi doesn’t say anything after that, and the meeting continues as planned. His comments are all but forgotten, but he notices how that same council member doesn’t take his glance away from the young king, even as the sun fades into the sea.

 

The night comes and goes, and even as Yugi dresses the next morning, he can hear the council members outside, meandering in the hallway. His mind is a mess, his eyes filled with fatigue. All night, his mind wandered and went over everything he heard at the meeting. They’re trying to undermine him, but in a way, he can’t blame the, - a young king, naive not only to the ways of the world, but in how to run a country and make important decisions. He can see how antsy they get in the meetings, shifting uncomfortably in their seats.

 

This morning, he thinks of Atem. He thinks of where he lives beneath the waves, and how different it must be. Does Atem have to deal with the same things, with members of the council trying to go beneath him, behind him? Or perhaps Atem is still just a prince, with a strong father continuing to rule.

 

“Papa,” Yugi whispers, voice only echoing in his ears, “What should I do? How would you handle this?” He takes a look out the window, watching the sun slowly ascend into its rightful place for the day.

 

The window is rather large, and his father used to often joke that, “One day I’m going to open the doors and my son has decided to use the window as a door to go swimming.” Yugi never did that, but it always made him laugh when his father brought it up.

 

Even though he’s much older now, he never grew as tall as his father. He takes another look at the window, and then takes a last glance at the door. Could he stomach another day of the same meeting - where he’s been tossed around as just a figurehead, where his decisions are undermined?

 

He opens the window and steps out onto the roof. Yugi has mapped out this escape route before; though his room is on the second floor of the palace, it’s easy to climb down the sloped roof and jump onto the courtyard below. He does just that.

 

Before anyone notices he’s missing, Yugi breaks out into a run. His legs ache, the exercise unusual after a day of sitting and listening to others speak, but he forces himself to keep going.

 

The shore, thankfully, is never too far from the castle, and as he arrives he takes in a deep breath of salty air. The sound of the waves crashing bring calm into him, and he takes a seat in the sand, looking out into the horizon.

 

“Yugi,” a voice calls out to him, and he sees Atem raising his head above the water. He’s swimming, the ripples made in the water much calmer than they were before; it could be his cut has healed enough.

 

Yugi smiles and calls out, “Atem, is your tail feeling better?”

 

“Thank you,” Atem nods, swimming closer to the shore. He remains in the water for the most part, chest exposed to the warm air of the day. Yugi can’t help but smile, because Atem’s shoulders are no longer tense and he’s swimming about freely in the water. Atem continues, “You weren’t here yesterday.”

 

Yugi sighs, “Yeah. It’s complicated.”

 

“Complicated?” Atem tilts his head to the side, eyebrows furrowed as he asks, “Is it bad?”

 

Yugi laughs, “I guess it is, yeah. They don’t take me seriously as a prince.”

 

They’re quiet for a little while, and Yugi notices that Atem hasn’t directed his gaze away. The necklace of pearls against his chest glimmers in the light of the sun, and his chest moves with peaceful breaths.

 

“You’ve gotten pretty good at the language,” Yugi comments, changing the subject, “How did that happen? Do you have another teacher?” He laughs at the end, though the joke seems to have soared well above Atem’s head.

 

Atem replies, “There’s script of it back home. After I went home yesterday, I decided to read up on it.”

 

“Will you tell me more?” Yugi asks, “Tell me more about your home?”

 

It’s how Yugi ends up swimming along the coast with Atem. The merman is much stronger at swimming than he is, of course, but he slows down so Yugi keeps up. The water is calming, the feeling of it splashing against him as he moves lulling him into security. As they swim, Atem tells him of his home.

 

“It’s not too far from here,” Atem explains, “But I don’t think you could get there, since you can’t breathe in the water,”

 

Yugi scoffs, but it’s playful as he says, “I knew that much. Tell me more.”

 

“It’s hard to explain,” Atem says, “I live in a palace, and my father helps run the city. We all live in the same area together. We aren’t . . . We aren’t supposed to make trips like this up to the surface. My father says it could be dangerous.”

 

Yugi grumbles, “He’s right. It’s pretty dangerous. After all, you got caught in that net!”

 

“It can be dangerous,” Atem agrees, “But you’re not.”

 

Yugi doesn’t have anything to say to that.

 

Atem explains that he’s a singer in his city, and that each member of the royal family has to have some sort of job before they take the throne - and since he’s the only child, he does whatever is expected of him.

 

“Getting caught in that net was not expected,” Atem says, “I was in trouble when I got back. I was stuck in there overnight.”

 

Yugi’s just relieved Atem was all right in the end. They talk until the sun sets, and when they tired of the water, Yugi’s skin yearning for some time in the sun, they sit amongst the sand, Atem’s tail swinging and moving sand around.

 

Yugi sneaks out as often as he can to see Atem - sometimes it’s daily, even as the sun starts to set. Atem is always waiting for him, and he always stays until Yugi decides he can stay no longer. The comfort Atem brings, the peace in the flurry of meetings, is overwhelming, and during long council talks, Yugi finds his legs growing antsy, and he feels the need to burst from his seat and run for the beach.

 

That feeling grows stronger than ever as the hot summer days melt into the falling leaves and cooling weather. Yugi’s managed to come to an agreement with their current treaty, but as he walks into the council room, the oldest member frantically looks at him, another thick stack of papers clasped tightly in his hand.

 

“This is from another kingdom,” the man says hesitantly, setting out the papers as Yugi takes a seat at the table, “I would read over the terms of the agreement. The others already have and, well, they’re ready to talk about it.”

 

Yugi looks over it briefly, though the words mesh together and swirl around in his head, and he’s unable to make sense of them. He does know of this kingdom - in recent years, the ruling monarchy was overthrown and its current ruler, a man by the name of Bakura, has rumors swirling around him that are none too pleasant. The very idea of a treaty with them sends shivers through his spine. He holds tightly onto the papers before him as the rest of the council takes their seats, the edges of the paper cutting into his palm.

 

The same middle-aged councilman speaks up, “I think we need to consider this treaty. If the information they provided is true, we could be set up to be one of the richest kingdoms in all the continent.”

 

Yugi furrows his eyebrows as he says, “What are you referring to? This seems like the same treaty we just looked at, only for a different kingdom.”

 

“That’s where you’re wrong,” the councilman laughs without mirth, and the sound sends shivers down Yugi’s spine. The others in the room stay silent, and the man continues, “He talks about the existence of merpeople, and if we catch one for him, he can give us the entire country’s riches.”

 

Yugi feels the world freeze. No one moves. It feels like the air in the room is gone and now, all he can think about is Atem.

 

“Why would we agree to a treaty with something like this?” Yugi asks, willing his voice to stay calm. He hopes they don’t hear the tremble as he says, “We have no proof of their existence, and if we sign onto this with the hope that they’ll still somehow be amicable towards us, then we could be in trouble.”

 

The councilman laughs again, and Yugi wishes he could leave the room. The air feels heavy, and the gaze of this man is unrelenting and stifling. But Yugi can only listen as he says, “Well, Your Highness, I’ve already come close to confirming that not only their existence, but I almost caught one earlier. A net I had laid out resulted in no catch, but had been sliced open.  Could a fish really do that?”

 

No - but Yugi could. He remembers cutting it open with his own knife, so that’s where the councilman is wrong, but he had opened it in the first place to free Atem, to free a merman.

 

His heart is racing and his lungs are tight. Everyone in the room has turned their attention to him and are watching him, as though if they look deep enough, they could discover his secret. He clenches the edge of the table, holding onto it until his knuckles turn white - anything to keep a facade of calm on his face.

 

Atem has helped him with lots of things, and when he closes his eyes for just a moment, he sees him. There’s a small smile on his face, violet eyes shining just like the sun, and Yugi takes a deep breath.

 

“We will discuss this at a later date,” Yugi says, thinking about different ways Atem would coach him. He talked about how the court his father works with is kind, but often stubborn, and he even imitated how his father would bring the meeting to an end, using a stern voice with a playful lilt. 

 

He’s going to protect Atem.

 

The meeting adjourns after this, none of the other council members willing to protest. The brown-haired man crosses his arms across his chest, but still says nothing as he leaves the room.

 

Yugi looks out the window - it’s only midday, with plenty of sunlight left. He has to go to the coast, he has to talk to Atem.

 

When he’s certain the council members have gone about their business for the afternoon, Yugi breaks into a run as he leaves the castle. He’s still dressed in his formal attire for the meeting, but it doesn’t matter to him. There are more important matters at hand.

 

When he arrives at the beach, he sees a familiar splash not too far off from the coastline, and Yugi doesn’t hesitate anymore. He dives into the ocean water, feeling the saltiness against his lips as his head dips underneath the surface. He opens his eyes long enough to see the familiar aquamarine scales reflect the light scattered about in the water. The scar from his wound is enough to see, but Yugi doesn’t think it detracts from his beauty at all.

 

Yugi rises to the surface at the same time Atem does, though he can’t match the jubilant expression the merman gives him. He takes a deep breath and at east tries to return that same smile, though his heart is still hammering in his chest and he can feel his hands start to shake. The water is not as calming as it should be.

 

“What’s wrong?” Atem asks. He swims to move a little closer to Yugi, and his arm brushes against him. Yugi shudders, though he doesn’t shy away from the touch. 

 

Yugi doesn’t know what to say at first. Every time he thinks he does, he opens his mouth and finds the words don’t quite form, that they’re caught in his throat, tied in knots. Time seems to pass by quickly with the rolling waves, but Atem waits patiently. Finally, Yugi is able to say, “It’s not safe for you here.”

 

“What do you mean?” Atem’s voice has always been calming, perhaps because of the deep tone, but its effects fall short on Yugi today. He’s so nervous, mind already thinking about all of the different things that could happen, and his legs are already exhausted just keeping him afloat.

 

He begins to swim out towards the shore, and Atem follows him. When Yugi reaches a place where he can touch the ground, he manages to say, “They’re after you.”

 

“Who’s after me?” Atem asks, mentioning, “You haven’t mentioned anyone else to me before.”

 

Yugi takes a deep breath. His hands still won’t stop shaking, no matter how much he wills them to stop. Instead, he focuses on the task at hand - he has to convince Atem to go somewhere safe. He explains, “There’s this treat with another kingdom. One of the councilmen on my team wants to catch . . . he wants to catch  _ you.  _ He already tried and he’s why you got caught in that net before. You have to go somewhere safe, somewhere far from here.”

 

There’s silence between the two of them for just a little while. Yugi listens to the waves that ebb and flow against the shore, brushing against his arm and splashing against his chin as he floats.

 

Atem finally speaks, and when he does his voice is low as he says, “I’ll be safe here. I have you and I know how to protect myself.”

 

“But,” Yugi starts to protest, but Atem shakes his head. He doesn’t say anything, and so Yugi continues, “I don’t know what I would do if you got hurt.”

 

Yugi feels Atem’s hand beneath the water, coming to grip around his own. His hand is soft, skin pressed against his own, though it brings no solace to the nerves creeping through him.

 

Atem leans forward and presses his lips against Yugi’s. It’s gentle, warm, and Yugi feels his face flushing but he doesn’t pull away from it. The touch relieves some of his worries for the moment, even as Atem pulls away. The grip Atem has on Yugi’s hand tightens.

 

“I’ll be all right,” Atem says.

 

Yugi believes him.

 

/////

 

The next few days come and go like a torrential downpour, with waves crashing against the surface without hesitation. The meetings Yugi endures are unrelenting, with particular emphasis on the idea of capturing a merperson from the deep. Yugi argues with the members of his council, over and over as he seems to move in circles, conversation dizzying and feverish.

 

Yugi hasn’t been able to see Atem, except when he peeks out the window in the middle of the night, he thinks he sees the ripples of the waters change.

 

“I’ve done it,” the middle-aged councilman proclaims, bursting into the room a week after Yugi had last seen Atem, “This treaty is ours. The wildest of riches will be ours.”

 

Yugi freezes; his heart seems to lurch out of his chest and he finds himself gripping tightly onto the table. The other councilmen look around wildly, the whispers rising up in the room.

 

“What have you done?” The eldest of them all has a glimmer in his eyes as he asks the question, raising his hand up to shift his glasses on his face. Yugi finds there’s no air in the room; all has grown stagnant and as he breathes in, his chest constricts and it’s all painful.

 

“I’ve caught a merman,” he announces, thin lips upturned in a wild grin. Yugi feels the room grow cold, and the words barely reach his ear as the man continues, “He was wandering not too far from here, but I’ve got him for now. We can all take a look at him tomorrow. It will make a perfect backdrop when we sign the treaty!” He laughs then, quietly, but the noise echoes in Yugi’s ear.

 

They adjourn for the day, most of the council excitedly talking about what they could witness the next day, but Yugi doesn’t do anything like them. He breaks out into a run, slamming open the meeting room door and charging into the hallways, twisting and turning and moving as quickly as his legs will carry him.

 

Before he leaves the palace, hand hovering over the handle to the door, his legs stop him.  He thinks about the councilman in question - he’s tried time and time again to catch Atem, and after failing once, he won’t commit the same mistakes. He won’t leave Atem struggling out in the water, where he could easily escape.

 

Yugi turns around and runs back into the castle.

 

Searching goes well into the night - the rooms that litter the castle are plenty, and Yugi has to be careful as he searches alone. His footsteps are lighter, the shaking of his hand as he opens door after door has to be steady. As he finds another empty room, filled with dusty dressers and unused beds, he wonders if this is even possible - if he can even find Atem before the sun rises again.

 

As he runs through the hallways, descending staircase after staircase, he imagines the absolute worst if he fails. He imagines Atem, skin dried and chest heaving with difficulty, eyes frantically searching throughout an empty room. He imagines the middle-aged man, wide grin and hands desperately crawling towards his prize, the anticipation of the money falling into his grasp overwhelming. Yugi can’t let that happen.

 

It’s one of the last rooms he searches that becomes the most suspicious. All of the previous rooms have been unlocked, because there has never been a need for them to be otherwise. But this room, as Yugi presses against the door, refuses to make its contents known.

 

Yugi pushes at the door harder. He slams at the door, pushing as much of his strength as he can into each movement. Just barely, he can hear the wood of the door begin to fray and crack with each exertion, and before long, it comes apart. It pulls away from the hinges and collapses to the ground. His arms ache, splinters in his fist and droplets of blood against the floor, but none of that matters.

 

He sees Atem as soon as the door hits the ground. Atem - the one most precious to him, heart hammering in his chest - is wrapped and the same net, struggling against its bonds, wriggling on the ground. His scales have lost their shine. His hands are covered in burns from the rope surrounding him, keeping him trapped.

 

“Atem,” Yugi calls out, running into the room, “Atem, are you all right?”

 

Atem’s reply is quiet, “I think so. I need to get to the water.” His voice is raspy, as though struggling to form the right words. Yugi takes another look at the scales of his tail - they’re dull, lifeless, and his tail barely moves back and forth as he lies surrounded by the ropes.

 

“I’ll get you there,” Yugi says quietly, already reaching into his pocket for his knife, the same knife he used to free him all that time ago. He takes a breath and as he starts to cut away at the netting surrounding Atem, he says, “I want you to get far away from here, once you’re free.”

 

Atem coughs before he replies, “I can’t leave you. You’re important to me.”

 

“You need to,” Yugi persists, “It’s not safe for you here. If you got hurt again because of me, because you wanted to be near me, then I wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

 

Atem says nothing, but instead just directs his gaze down at the floor. The net has come loose. Yugi doesn’t hesitate, not anymore - he can’t think of a time without Atem, because if Atem dies then his world will truly fall apart.

 

He’s careful as he picks up Atem, putting one hand behind his shoulders and one just where his tail starts. Atem doesn’t protest, his eyes slowly closing. Yugi can’t hesitate anymore, and so as soon as he’s grabbed hold tightly of Atem, he hurried back out into the hallways.

 

It’s trickier this time - after all, if he’s caught by anyone, it would spell disaster for the both of them. But Yugi knows the palace inside and out, every single nook and cranny unfamiliar to all except him. It’s not long before he opens a door and rushes out into the night air, chill wind stinging his cheeks as he continues to run.

 

Atem hasn’t said anything the entire time, but when they get closer to the shoreline, he mumbles, “I’ll come back.”

 

“No,” Yugi replies, shaking his head, “I can’t have you risk yourself again.”

 

Atem takes a shaky breath before he continues, “When it’s safe, I’ll find my way back here. I don’t want to say goodbye.”

 

Yugi doesn’t want to either. He tightens his grip on Atem and thinks about what it will be like, walking back into the council room. They will all be quite angry, though they’ll never know it was because of Yugi himself. In the end, they will all find ways to move on - all of the others will, anyway.

 

When they arrive at the coast, Yugi wades into the water until his waist is submerged. Atem’s tail is getting wet, and with hardly any time spent in the water at all, it splashes about until Atem is swimming freely on his own again.

 

This time, Yugi watches his movements closely. Aquamarine shines in the water, and Atem’s expression is one of absolute delight. He dives into the water, getting his hair wet and when he emerges again, the grin on his face is infectious.

 

It doesn’t last long, because Yugi whispers, “You have to go now. If you don’t, they’ll catch you again.”

 

Atem pauses, looking at an area beyond Yugi’s frame. Perhaps it’s the castle, or even the moon - Yugi doesn’t know. But Atem gives him another smile, more somber this time, as he says, “I’ll be back. I love you.”

 

Before Yugi can respond, the words playing on his lips, Atem dives into the sea and vanishes. He doesn’t return.

 

Just like Yugi has asked, he doesn’t come back.

 

Yugi says the words to an empty audience, the quietly calling waves and whispering wind the only ones to hear him.

 

/////

 

The council is furious when they discover not a single merperson in sight. They see the ripped netting and see their future in shambles. Yugi has to agree.

 

His new council members are young, dynamic, and better at the game of compromise. Even a year later, Yugi feels like everything this so new.

 

“Your Highness,” one of the new members, Seto, comments, “You’ve been looking out at the ocean more than the meeting notes. Maybe it’s time for a break.”

 

Yugi laughs, “Sorry, we can keep going.”

 

Seto calls the meeting off anyway. He says it’s for a quick lunch and to stretch their legs, but Yugi has a feeling they won’t be meeting back today, and that’s fine.

 

His legs carry him out of the palace and back to the ocean. The smell of salt and the sound of waves overwhelm his senses, and he takes a seat in the sand, feeling its warmth in the palm of his hand as he reaches for it. When he brought Atem here, it had been the last time he had visited. Things became too busy, too overwhelming, and the thought of returning to empty waters sounded like visions from his nightmares.

 

But he’s here now, and that has to mean something. All this time later, and he’s here, thinking about Atem - thinking about the words that the merman didn’t get to hear.

 

“I love you,” Yugi says one more time, to the same audience that heard it before. The water splashes playfully and the wind bites against his ear. Nothing greets him in return.

 

The water splashes again and Yugi takes a closer look. It’s unusual, against the rhythmic moving of the current as it splashes against the coast. Instead, bubbles slowly come to the surface and Yugi feels his stomach lurch. His heart stops beating and air is frozen in his chest.

 

Atem sticks his head out of the water, a large smile on his face as he says, “I’m guessing it’s safe now. Is it?”

 

“You’re here,” Yugi breathes out. His hands are frozen against the hot sand. Atem is here in front of him again, and when Atem smiles at him again, he moves.

 

He rushes into the water, wading in with all of his formal clothing still on. It doesn’t matter - it really, truly doesn’t as he reaches out and pulls Atem in for an embrace.

 

Atem is warm, the feeling of droplets against his skin calming. Atem’s hand has grabbed for his own again, and the familiarity brings more comfort, allowing Yugi to let out the breath he had been holding in for so long.

 

“Can you say that again?” Atem asks, “What you just said, before you saw me?”

 

Yugi rolls his eyes, “You probably already heard it.”

 

“One more time wouldn’t hurt,” Atem says. The smile never leaves his face, and Yugi finds himself smiling too as he says those same words one more time - the same words Atem said to him before they parted, now the same words uttered to the air when they’ve reunited.

 

“I love you.”


End file.
